lotto@wjh12.harvard.edu (Jerry Lotto) (03/20/88)
[Go ahead line eater, make my da...]
Before flame, thanks to Lee Fisher from Microsoft for pointing out the
there was a patch for IBM PC-DOS 3.3 that resolves a fatal bug in the
pathetic BACKUP program (it is bad enough when it works!).
IBM did not inform me of the patch. They did not inform Harvard of the
patch (an authorized repair and volume purchase site). They did not
inform many of their own employees about the patch. ASKINFO admitted
after much prodding that one existed. The local tech. support person
from IBM will not return calls. After getting him on the phone with
much effort, he promised to send the patch US mail. It has been over
two months and has not. The local sales rep. promised to obtain the
patch and hand deliver it. He was very friendly and responsive. He
also never showed up or called to explain. It has been two weeks
since that performance. One follow-up call to him last week informed
me that he is out of town, someone else is manning the fort while he
is away. Her voice mailbox has overflowed and is not accepting
messages. A human took the message after some prodding. I have heard
nothing since. Local stores have this patch through unknown channels
"for their customers only". What the HELL is going on there?
I am sick and tired of this nonsense. I have given up on any hopes for
a reasonable solution to this problem through channels. Has anyone
gotten this thing? If so, may I get it from you? FTP, e-mail, US mail
would be fine. I own DOS, I am entitled the patch. Harvard is supposed
to have it as a reseller. I would be happy to mail a disk with a
self-addressed stamped envelope. I would LOVE to send IBM a bill for
the 75 cents it would cost me! Two months without backup is ABSURD (of
course I have found an interim solution, but why the hell should I
have had to?). If I get this from anyone, I would be happy to make it
available to anyone else that asks. If IBM objects to my offering to
redistribute the patch without proof of license, perhaps they will
then return my calls.
Jerry Lotto
(BIG DISCLAIMER - If anyone at Harvard objects to my claiming that
we are ALL pissed off at the way IBM has handled this situation, I
will retract the above posting and assume full personal responsibility
for its contents. However, I see NO excuse for the results so far.
If IBM gets their act together and I see this patch in DOS 3.3's
lifetime, I WILL post a public thank-you.)
--
Gerald Lotto - Harvard Chemistry Dept.
UUCP: {seismo,harpo,ihnp4,linus,allegra,ut-sally}!harvard!lotto
ARPA: lotto@harvard.harvard.eduberger@clio.las.uiuc.edu (03/22/88)
Tangentially, we have a local IBM dealer like that too - if you didn't
purchase your machine and ALL cards, peripherals, etc. from them, then
forget about support. And they're the only authorized IBM dealer in
town!
Fortunately, we have a great John Deere Tractor/Valcom Computer Center
store only 40 miles away that sells IBM and Compaq.
Mike Berger
Department of Statistics
Science, Technology, and Society
University of Illinois
berger@clio.las.uiuc.edu
{ihnp4 | convex | pur-ee}!uiucuxc!clio!bergerjcmorris@mitre-bedford.ARPA (Joseph C. Morris) (03/30/88)
In article <171@wjh12.harvard.edu> lotto@wjh12.UUCP (Jerry Lotto) writes: >IBM did not inform me of the patch. They did not inform Harvard of the >patch (an authorized repair and volume purchase site). I hadn't seen the announcement of its availability, but I cranked up ASKINFO after seeing the Harvard posting on Friday. Using PCFIX DOS 3.3 as the search argument I got two hits: the BACKUP fix and DASDDRVR.SYS version 1.2 (which we already have in house). I ordered the BACKUP fix by an ASKINFO feedback screen; it arrived by SnailMail this morning (Tuesday). I'm not going to try to defend some of IBM's (non-)support of its PC customers; I've also had somewhat less than reasonable service from Big Blue at times. In this case, though, I did get the fix quickly including the SnailMail delays. IBM doesn't seem to send out announcements of either errors or fixes (something I've "discussed" with them in the past) but a periodic search of ASKINFO's PCFIX hits might help. Joe Morris
mvolo@ecsvax.UUCP (Michael R. Volow) (03/30/88)
Pardon my lack of information, but what is ASKINFO? Michael Volow, M.D. Dept of Psychiatry, Durham VA Medical Center, Durham, N.C. 27705 919 286 0411 mvolo@ecsvax.UUCP
jcmorris@mitre-bedford.ARPA (Joseph C. Morris) (04/02/88)
In article <4839@ecsvax.UUCP> mvolo@ecsvax.UUCP (Michael R. Volow) writes: >Pardon my lack of information, but what is ASKINFO? ASKINFO is a BBS operated by IBM for its volume customers. Each customer site has a designated point of contact, who can use the ASKINFO system to search the symptom data base, ask technical questions, and order the IBM-distributed fixes. As far as I know it's for volume users only. It isn't a cure-all. The fix for BACKUP, for example, is *NOT* found if you include the word BACKUP in the keyword list, and the technical support occasionally responds in a not-my-job manner, but it sure beats going to your local Computerland (or calling a mail order house) which is where IBM (and the other vendors) tell the quantity-one customers to go for assistance. Check with your computer center or whoever provided PC support for you; you may discover that they already have access but didn't want to raise the hopes of the users by announcing it. Ciao.